Galesburg Reporter

The 102nd General Assembly in Illinois convened following a lame-duck session that fell short of providing real solutions in the eyes of state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy).

Tracy addressed the subjects in a newsletter to her constituents this month, noting it is an honor to serve the 47th District once again. 

Tracy said in the newsletter she is looking forward to helping constituents with their “concerns on an individual basis or advocating for them as a whole.” 

Jil Tracy | Facebook

Tracy will serve the state as the Senate Republican Whip. 

She said she will use this role to “bring our region’s commonsense and real-life insight to the discussion about issues that affect us all as Illinois citizens.” 

During the opening of the session on Jan. 13, Tracy said it was her honor to second the nomination of Sen. Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) to lead the Senate. 

She cited his ability to work across the aisle and advance a forward-looking, balanced and fair legislative agenda.

Among the issues at the forefront are fiscal responsibility, education, pension reform, and economic growth initiatives to boost jobs to restore prosperity to the state.

Despite her focus for the upcoming future, Tracy was left feeling short-changed in the lame-duck session, citing agreements by Democrats that failed to address the problems of the state.

She accused Democrats of pushing through expensive legislation that allowed lawmakers leaving the Legislature to make decisions without having to deal with the outcomes.

“We should be focusing on fixing our budget and helping the millions of Illinoisans who are struggling, sick, or out of work,” Tracy said. “Instead, Democrat leaders are ramming through legislation at the 11th hour that will place an extremely heavy tax burden on hard-working men and women in Illinois.”

Tracy said Republicans could not vote on the bills without the working consent of a regular legislative session.